Ramsey Security (Ramsey Security #1-3)(140)

“You heard wrong.”

“We’re going to look around.”

“I pay my bills. I don’t need to be hassled.”

The officers turn away from the old man who I suspect is fiddling with a weapon behind the bar. He’s thinking about challenging them. I think they feel it too because they reach for their weapons.

“DEA!” I holler, aiming my gun. “Everyone freeze.”

The cops keep their hands in the open. Clearly unsure, they’ll try to go for my gun soon.

Dino approaches them and points his Glock in the first cop’s face.

“Where’s our witness?” Dino asks the old man.

The bartender likely thinks Ruby has a better shot of surviving with us than the cops. He gestures towards the bathroom.

“Asshole,” the cop says to the old man.

The bartender glares hard at the cops. “She’s got a kid, *s.”

While Dino holds his weapon on the two cops, I move quickly through the bar to the bathroom.

“Ruby, it’s Jane from the other day. We’re here to help you get home.”

A head appears at the top of the stall. “You’re the reason I can’t get home.”

“No, those f*cking cops are the reason. Now do you want to see your kid again or not?”

Ruby’s dark glare eases before she jumps down from the toilet and opens the door.

“Let’s go,” I say directing her from the restroom and out of the back of the bar.

Hearing a gunshot nearby, I decide to remain with Ruby. Dino is a pro and more than capable of handling two small-town cops. I f*cking know he is, but I’m scared they got the drop on him. Or maybe someone else showed up.

Ruby gets into the backseat and crouches down like she knows the drill. I use my extra keys to drive the SUV to the front where I honk and wait for someone to appear. If the cops show up, I’m making crotch-shot, so they suffer a little before the final face shots. I think Dino would approve.

Rather than cops, Dino hurries outside with his gun at the ready. He opens the passenger door and slides in.

“Who fired?” I ask, hitting the accelerator.

“One of the pigs. I only wounded him,” Dino says, glancing into the back where Ruby hides. “The f*cker cried.”

“Where did you shoot him?”

“Balls.”

“Well, that would do it.”

Ruby sits up and frowns. “Did you actually shoot one of those f*ckers in the balls?”

“Yeah, princess.”

Her frown eases, and she finally laughs. “Man, I would love to have seen that.”

“Here’s the thing,” I say, racing down the dark streets towards White Horse, “I don’t know where to drop you off.”

“I’ll give you my address in Hickory Creek.”

“Won’t the cops just show up there?”

“No, not unless they want to go to war with the Serrated Brotherhood.”

Dino asks, “Are you tight with them?”

“If I was, do you think I’d have called Hayes?”

“You took a big chance calling him.”

“Not really. I figured you two wanted an excuse to start shit. I also guessed you’d want less in return than the Brotherhood.”

“So, what exactly happened?”

“Black showed up at Lollipops and wanted to know what I said to you. I was completely honest, but he didn’t believe me. He was sweating, and I got scared and attacked him and his deputy with beer bottles. They couldn’t start shooting in the open and tried to grab me, but I got out the back and ran. They’ve been looking for me for the last few hours. I thought about calling one of my sisters to get me. Then I heard Black put a bounty on my head, and half of the town was looking for me. That’s when I called Hayes.”

The car falls silent while I follow the GPS directions to her place in Hickory Creek.

“You have a kid?” Dino asks.

“Yeah, a daughter. She’s seven.”

“What’s her name?”

“Chevelle. It’s Jamaican after my dad. We call her Elle,” Ruby says, sounding tired.

She gets quiet as the reality of her near-miss today sets in. “Do you two have kids?” she asks, regaining her composure.

“We’re not together,” I say instantly.

Dino glances at Ruby and grins. “She’s a strong woman, so being my sex slave bothers her.”

Ruby leans back in the seat. “You’d make pretty kids, I bet. I have a way of telling.”

Nudging me, Dino sighs. “I want a bunch of kids. Boys and girls. Lots and lots of them. I hope one has curly hair like my ma.”

“Elle has curly hair,” Ruby says, sounding tired again.

Twenty minutes later, we arrive at the Lush Gardens Trailer Park without incident.

“Are you sure you’ll be safe?” I ask, turning around to look at Ruby.

Her dark eyes are wary, but she nods. “I’ve lived here all my life, and we’re a tight-knit community. There’s no way those guys can show up without us knowing immediately. In fact, Missy Topper has already told everyone about the strange SUV out front.”

Ruby shows us the message sent out to the Lush Gardens Residences Facebook group.